[1lawlady]

As some might have suspected all along, I have a direct link to agents of USBP. While I accept that, as in every profession, there are a miniscule number of incompetents and crooks among the agents, you're not going to get me to bad mouth the agents because the vast majority are brave and dedicated patriots. All that they are trying to do is what we have asked them to do, and that's "hold the line" against insurmounable odds. As an example, one agent told me that he's been catching about 50 illegals a day out in the high desert of California. I was impressed, but he was discouraged because for every 50 he catches, 100 swarm around him and get through. He says it's like the little boy trying to hold back the bursting dyke with his finger.

You see, the agents have known that we were under invasion by Mexico, and they have been sounding the clarion call for years to no avail. All they have gotten for their efforts to warn us, is the expected disdain from liberals and open border freaks, but now folks like you who just want to carp without offering any solutions. Get yourself to the border. and I don't mean at the traditional ports of entry. Get out to the desert and mountains and see these men sometimes on ATV's, or horseback; sometimes in SUV's or on foot in all kinds of weather track these smugglers and illegals. Then you can tell me what's so very wrong with these agents, and how well you think you're being served.

US Border Patrol agents know that their management is confused and working at cross purposes to enforcing immigration laws. They have been complaining and warning us about the Clinton/Reno corruption, executed by that Meissner woman. They have been demoralized beyond belief by the internal policies of INS that tie their hands in enforcement and don't provide them with adequate equipment or information about terrorists. Even now, the policy is to put the agents in their vehicles on "X's" (a stationery position under lights) for a 10 hour shift, making them a prime target without any defense. I have spoken to agents who have taken fire on more than one occasion.

The agents really thought that September 11th would finally give them a chance to do their job. They wanted to fight this war in the right way. I can't speak for all, but many of them wanted to seal the borders and would be happy for any help they could get. As the days passed, they realized that they had hoped in vain one more time. With this latest Bush amnesty fiasco, demoralized can't even began to describe the agents' mindset. They know beyond any doubt, that this means more illegals flooding the border. They are already reporting an increase in numbers. Many agents are leaving, and no matter how many new positions we create, they have and will go unfilled because no one is going to work at GS-9 or GS-11 pay simply to sit and watch the fence rot. Maybe you want to do that, Uncle Bill, since you know how to do their job so much better than they.

As an aside, many agents want to be split off from the documentation side of INS, and would prefer to be joined with Customs and the Coast Guard. So all you arm-chair quarterbacks who think you contribute by mockery and empty criticism, chew on this for awhile. ZZZIIIPPP, putting on my flameproof suit.